"Research shows that friends were the last people young people spoke to before attempting self-harm or suicide," he said. "There is a need for more education on understanding emotional issues and intervention work at school." The need for more collaboration between the voluntary and the statutory sectors was also highlighted.
Separately, the Positive Intervention in Mental Health in Schools project is to launch this month. The pilot project will initially encourage schools in Hull to teach mental health education to early teens.
Alistair Sutcliffe, researcher at Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, who leads the work, said: "If young people were more aware of mental health issues, they could recognise if friends were unhappy and help them."
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